Scene 1

Guildenstern and Rosencrantz report on their activity to the King and Queen and Polonius, but cannot give them an explanation for his behavior. The King and Polonius have sent for Hamlet, and they hide behind a tapestry while leaving Ophelia supposedly reading a prayer-book, to observe the encounter. The King is hiding an uneasy conscience. Hamlet enters, thinking on death, suicide and the afterlife. He fears that conscience turns people into cowards. Seeing Ophelia, he approaches her. She tries to give him back all the letters and gifts he sent her. He turns cold and begins questioning her honesty, and soon whips himself into a rage, insulting her dreadfully, accusing her of hypocrisy, and telling her that he never loved her. He rails against marriage. Ophelia is distraught. Polonius still thinks that love is at the root of his behavior, but Claudies spies something darker, and resolves to send him to England as an ambassador to collect tribute, in the hopes that the change will do him good. Polonius suggests that Hamlet should have a talk with his mother, in the hopes that he may tell her what is troubling; Polonius offers to spy on that meeting, too. (169 lines)

That if you be honest and fair, your honesty should admit no discourse to your beauty.

OPH.OPHELIA

Could beauty, my lord, have better commerce than with honesty?

HAM.HAMLET

Ay, truly, for the power of beauty will sooner transform honesty from what it is to a bawd than the force of honesty can translate beauty into his likeness. This was sometime a paradox, but now the time gives it proof. I did love you once.

OPH.OPHELIA

Indeed, my lord, you made me believe so.

HAM.HAMLET

You should not have believ’d me, for virtue cannot so inoculate our old stock but we shall relish of it. I lov’d you not.

OPH.OPHELIA

I was the more deceiv’d.

HAM.HAMLET

Get thee to a nunn’ry, why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners? I am myself indifferent honest, but yet I could accuse me of such things that it were better my mother had not borne me: I am very proud, revengeful, ambitious, with more offenses at my beck than I have thoughts to put them in, imagination to give them shape, or time to act them in. What should such fellows as I do crawling between earth and heaven? We are arrant knaves, believe none of us. Go thy ways to a nunn’ry. Where’s your father?

OPH.OPHELIA

At home, my lord.

HAM.HAMLET

Let the doors be shut upon him, that he may play the fool no where but in ’s own house. Farewell.

OPH.OPHELIA

O, help him, you sweet heavens!

HAM.HAMLET

If thou dost marry, I’ll give thee this plague for thy dowry: be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou shalt not escape calumny. Get thee to a nunn’ry, farewell. Or if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool, for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them. To a nunn’ry, go, and quickly too. Farewell.

OPH.OPHELIA

Heavenly powers, restore him!

HAM.HAMLET

I have heard of your paintings, well enough. God hath given you one face, and you make yourselves another. You jig and amble, and you lisp, you nickname God’s creatures and make your wantonness your ignorance. Go to, I’ll no more on’t, it hath made me mad. I say we will have no more marriage. Those that are married already (all but one) shall live, the rest shall keep as they are. To a nunn’ry, go.